The following description is provided to assist the understanding of the reader. None of the information provided or references cited is admitted to be prior art.
Tissue engineering involves the use of living cells to develop biological substitutes for tissue and organ replacement. In order for tissue engineering to be practical, however, biological matrices must be developed that allow for cell and tissue growth that approximates natural growth. Tissue engineering matrices can be natural or artificial structures, which are capable of facilitating a variety of processes. Such biological structures serve multiple purposes, including, supporting cell or tissue attachment, migration, delivery, and retention. In addition to cells and/or tissues, the matrices can contain drugs, bioactive agents, and/or fluids, e.g., cell growth medium. As such, these structures can be seeded with cells and cultured in vitro or directly implanted into a tissue.
Along these lines, tissue engineering applications require structures composed of varying degrees of size and thickness, which impart the concomitant durability of the matrix and/or tissue. In this regard, the structure and strength of the matrix or tissue can vary and, for applications requiring manipulation, transportation, and/or implantation, a stable tissue-support complex is necessary to ensure the integrity of the tissue. Additionally, non-disruptive mechanisms for severing the tissue-support complex is an important consideration in the development of new strategies for tissue engineering and organ replacement.